PHASE-II STUDY WITH THE COMBINATION OF ET OPOSIDE, EPIRUBICINE AND CISPLATIN IN METASTATIC GASTRIC-CANCER

This study was aimed to confirm the therapeutic activity of the combin ation of etoposide, doxorubicin and cisplatin which has shown some cli nical efficiency as first line therapy in advanced gastric cancer. Sev enteen patients with metastatic gastric cancer were treated with etopo side (120 mg/m(2), IV, on day 5, 6 and 7), epirubicin (20 mg/m(2), IV, on day 1 and 7) and cisplatin (40 mg/m(2), IV, on day 2 and 8), q 4 w eeks. In 16 patients evaluable for response, three (19%) obtained a pa rtial response lasting from 93 to 360 days. Fifteen patients were eval uable for toxicity. Main toxicities > grade 2 included anemia (2/15), neutropenia (5/15), alopecia (8/15), fatigue (3/15), diarrhea (2/15), vomiting (2/15). Twenty nine per cent of severe toxic events were docu mented all along 52 cycles. Therefore we failed to confirm that this r egimen could be of clinical efficiency in advanced gastric cancer as r egards the beneifits/toxicity ratio.